krantz



H. KRANTZ.

SWITCHBOARD MECHANlSM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 19W.

Patented June 3, 1919.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. KRANTZ. SWITCHBOABD MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBER/l KRANTZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO KRANTZ MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, INC., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITCHBOARD MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June a, 1919.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 841,176, filed May 27, 1914. This application filed June 16,

1917. Serial No. 175,190.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT KRANTZ, re siding at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switchboard Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in switch or panel boards.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a more direct and efficient electrical connection is made through a switch unit and a fuse unit between main and branch line conductors or the like, the present application being a continuation in part of my allowed application Serial No. 811,176 disclosing the same invention which was filed on May 27, 1914.

A further object is to simplify the construction and arrangement of the parts referred to so as to reduce the cost, cheapen the installation of, and do away with unnecessary parts heretofore considered indispensable by electric panel board manufacturers.

A more detailed object is to provide a switch board mechanism comprising a fuse unit, having" opposite contact terminals made up as a unitary part thereof, and a switch blade movable for making and breaking contact directly with one of said contact terminals, thus doing away with all interposed joints and extensions heretofore deemed necessary to complete the connection between the fuse unit and the blade.

A further object is to render the fuse unit, with its contact forming part, readily removable.

A further object is to provide retaining means for the fuse unit adapted to hold it with its contact forming element in position for cooperating with the switch blade.

A further object is to provide a suitable switch mechanism adapted for making and breaking electric contact directly with the contact terminal of the fuse unit.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and application of indicated in the appended clain'ls.

principles, constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a switch board constructed in accordance with this invention, the section being taken upon the plane of line I I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the-structure shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating two switch and fuse devices arranged side by side along the length of a bus board.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating a modified adaptation of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view illustrating a further modified adaptation, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings for describing in detail the exemplary structure illustrate-d therein, the reference character L indicates a base member of suitable insulating material. The reference character Gindicates a contact bar, either bus or cross bar as the case may be. This is shown to have extensions against which one end of the switch. blade H engages, but it is apparent that the extensions may be omitted if desired and the switch blade be made to engage directly against the upper face of the main portion of the bar, as in Fig. 3.

The fuses as A are arranged directly op-. posite the extensions'G, and suitable pillow blocks 1 are positioned to receive the adjacent terminals 2 of each fuse, said pillow blocks being disposed so as to hold the-respective fuse terminals 2 in proper cooperative position beneath the adjacent end of the switch blade.

The opposite contact terminals 3 of the fuses rest upon pillow blocks 1 and are retained in position by spring clips or clamps 5 made as a part of pillow blocks ;1 through which electrical connection is made with the branch circuit terminalG. A spring clip or clamp 7 is-fixed to' each of the" pillow blocks 1 for engaging'and retaining the ad upon the bus or cross bar G and its other' end bearing directly upon. the fuse terminal 2.

The mechanism for movlng the switch blade into on and off position forms no' part of the present invention. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for this purpose. The mechanism shown in the drawings is simply for the purpose of illustrationand includes a cam 8 connected with a handle 9 and operable upon a plunger 10 to which the switch blade H is connected. A spring 11 is indicated for moving the switch blade upwardly when the cam is thrown to off position.

The essential characteristic of the switch blade and its operating elements is simply that the switch blade shall be movable for opening and closing contact directly with one of the unitary terminals of the fuse unit for controlling a circuit of which both the fuse unit and the switch blade are parts. It will also be understood that the invention is not limited to the type of fuse unit above described, as it is obvious thatthe direct engagement of the switch blade with one of the fuse contact terminals may readily be made upon a contact terminal of a different .form and disposition with respect to the body of the fuse unit from that above described. or in a different position relatively to the switch blade from that above described. v

At'the present stage of development in the switch board art, the fuse elements or units universally employed are of standard types and are made and sold in great numbers as articles of manufacture having awell-defined status, and these are detachably andfinterchangeably mounted upon the switch boards. They constitutea standard article. and the operator of aswitch board has simply to withdraw aused or destroyed fuse and to procure a likestandard fuse and snap it into position within the spring clips from which the destroyed one was taken'.

The fuse elements each comprise an entity within itself. In order to apply these standard fuses in position upon the board certain clips or sockets have been employed for directly receiving and retaining the fuse elementsreadily insertible and removable from the clips or sockets, the entity includ ing opposite contact terminals adapted to form electrical engagement with the material ofthe socket orclips.

These sockets or clips have heretofore been/in turn connected, by a greater or less number of extensions joints, etc., With a to present two modified means by which the provisions of this invention may be carried -out.-

In the modification Flg. 3 the fuse unit 12 is of a slightly different construction from that illustrated in Fig. l in that the extensions forming the contact terminals 2 and 8 of Fig. l are omitted in Fig. 3 and the switch blade is brought into direct electrical engagement with one of the unitary metallic thimbles 13 thereof. The fuse is shown to be mounted within the customary spring clips 14 oneof which engages each of the t-himbles 13 in a well known manner. The. clip ll, like the clip 7. of Fig. 1. is not employed to form any part of the circuit as has been the case heretofore in the art.

The switch blade in this modification is non-flexible and theopposite end bears di rectly upon the bus bar. It may be suitable for use in certain'relations.

In the modification '-i and :3 a fuse element is illustrated which is of the same construction as that shown in Fig. 1. In these figures however the fuse is turned so that the extending contact terminals 2 and 3 thereof stand edgewise to the base board in position so that the contact terminal 2 may be engaged between the spring contact portions 15 of a switch blade 16. The switch blade is shown to be pivotally mounted to the bus bar as at 1'1" so as to swing into and out of position engaging the terminal 2.

Here it may be noted that the fuse unit may be arranged so that the contact terminal 2 thereof is in a horizontal position as shown in Fig. l. and that the swinging switch blade may be moved into and out of direct'contact with the upper surface of the terminal 2 if desired, the only difference -.between such an arrangement and that shown in Fig. 1 being that the switch blade is pivota'lly mounted in contact with the bus bar instead of being bodily movable as in Fig. 1.

The modification Figs. t and 5 also illustrates the use of a body clamp 18 formed preferably of. insulating material, for holding the fuse unit in'aii appropriate position. Branch line connections with the terminal 3 of the fuse unit may be effected in any desired manner.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, I v I Having thus described'my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 A switch mechanism containing a 'swit ch blade having two free ends; an actuator for bodily displacing sa-id switch blade a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type; a supporting clip therefor adapted to position one terminal of said fuse unit directly in the path of movement of one end of said switch blade, and a contact located directly in the path of movement of the other end of said switch blade; all whereby said actuator may cause said switch blade to contactdirectly with said terminal and contact.

2. A switch board mechanism comprising a movable switch member, a pair of spaced contact members between which the switch movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted to control a circuit through said fuse unit.

4. In a switch board mechanism the combination with a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type having opposite contact terminals made up as a unitary part thereof, of a switch member having a movable part.

- movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted to control a circuit through said fuse unit, and means to releasably retain the fuse unit in position with the mentioned terminal thereof in cooperative relation with the movable part of the switch member.

5. In a switch board mechanism, the combination with a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type having opposite contact terminals made up as a unitary part thereof, of a switch member having a movable part movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted to control a circuit through said fuse unit. and a clamp to releasably retain the fuse unit in position with the mentioned terminal thereof in cooperative relation with the movable part of the switch member.

6. In a switch board mechanism, the com movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted to control acircuit through said fuse unit, and

a pair of spring clips for engaging the opposite contact terminals of the fuse unit, one of said spring clips serving to make electrical connection with the respective fuse terminal and the other spring clip serving to retain its respective terminal in cooperative relation with the movable part of the switch member.

T. In a switch boa-rd mechanism, the combination with a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type having opposite contact terminals made up as a unitary part thereof, of a switch member having a movable part movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted to control a circuit through said fuse unit, the

contact terminals of the fuse unit comprising fiat extensions from the opposite ends thereof, a pair of pillow blocks spaced apart adapted to receive the fuse terminals laid flat thereon, and means to retain the fuse unit in position so that the flat face of one of said terminal extensions is positioned for directly receiving cont-act from the movable partof the switch member.

8. In a switch board mechanism, the combination with a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type havingopposite contact terminals made up as a unitary part thereof, of a switch member having av movablepart movable into and out of direct contact with one of said fuse unit terminals adapted. to control a circuit through said fuse unit. the contact terminals of the fuse unit comprising fiat extensions at the opposite ends thereof, a pair of pillow blocks upon which said extensions rest, and spring clips arranged to engage said extensions to retain them flatwise upon said pillow blocks in position with one extension having its flat face arranged to receive direct engagement from the movable part of the switch member.

9. In a switch board mechanism, the combination with a standard fuse unit of the cartridge type having a contact terminal made up as a unitary part thereof, and a contact member spaced from the fuse unit, of a switch member arranged to bridge the space between the fuse unit and the contact member and being bodily movable into and out of direct engagement with said mentioned terminal of the fuse unit and with said contact member, and means for so moving said switch member.

10. In a switch board mechanism, a bus bar, a plurality of branch line contact members spaced apart and spaced from the bus bar, a plurality of switch blades one for each branch line contact member, said switch blades each having one of its ends arranged to make electrical engagement directly with the bus "bar and having its other end directed laterally away from the bus-bar. at least the last mentioned ends of the switch blades being movable, a plurality of standard fuse members of the, rartrhlgo typo, each having switch hhnlofi'to open or close contact di- '10 oppomte uultzu') Contact terminals and ourh rertly \Hth tho hmtlnentloned unitary fuse hzu'mg' one of its unitary rontnut tvrminuls terminals.

eloctrirully connected with one of the branch In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 5 hue Contact members. with fuse nuunber hnV- in the presence of two Witnesses.

ing its other unitary:contact terminal dis- I HUBERT KRAXTZ.

posed in (he path of movement of the mov- Vitnesses:

able and of one of the switch blades and 'J. L. KOLB,

means tor movmg the, movable ends of the S. L. VIIITLOCK. 

